US carries out airstrikes on 3 sites in Iraq linked to Iran-backed militias blamed for base attack

The United States conducted strikes against Iran-supported militants in Iraq, responding robustly to the group's second attack on American troops on Tuesday.The airstrikes in Iraq happened shortly after the U.S. targeted what it claimed were locations in Yemen controlled by the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. The decision to strike in Iraq followed an incident where militants launched two one-way attack drones at al-Asad Air Base, causing injuries to U.S. service members and infrastructure damage. It was considered one of the strongest reactions to the numerous recent assaults on American forces in Iraq and Syria.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in a statement that the US carried out airstrikes in Iraq targeting facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in the country on Tuesday following repeated attacks on US forces.Austin said that the strikes "are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria" by Iranian-backed militia groups. US Central Command also released a statement on Tuesday saying US forces "conducted unilateral airstrikes" targeting "KH headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities," CNN reported.According to a US defence official, the strikes were carried out at two sites in western Iraq, including Al-Qa'im near the Syrian border and Jurf al-Sakhar south of Baghdad."I am grateful for both the skill and professionalism with which our personnel planned and conducted these strikes and the continued efforts of our troops on the ground as they work with regional partners to further dismantle and degrade ISIS," Austin stated."The President and I will not hesitate to take the necessary action to defend them and our interests. We do not seek to escalate the conflict in the region. We are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our people and our facilities. We call on these groups and their Iranian sponsors to immediately cease these attacks," he added.The strikes come just days after US personnel at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq were injured in a ballistic missile and rocket attack on the base. While most missiles and rockets were intercepted by the base's air defences, some projectiles made an impact, CNN reported, citing US Central Command.As per the initial assessment, Kataib Hezbollah was responsible for the ballistic missile attack, the defence official said. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that a total of four US troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack, and all had since returned to duty.With inputs from agencies.